Kylian Mbappe scored the sole goal in France’s 1-0 victory over Turkiye in their UEFA Nations League match on Friday, but the celebration was tempered by the striker sustaining a knee injury. The game, held at the Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit, marked Zinedine Zidane’s debut as France’s head coach.

Mbappe, recently repositioned to the left wing by Zidane after playing centrally under former coach Didier Deschamps during the World Cup, netted his 67th international goal. The Real Madrid forward controlled a pass from Michael Olise and delivered a low shot to the near post. Immediately after scoring, Mbappe appeared to experience discomfort and eventually left the field, wincing and pointing to the outside of his left knee. He was replaced by Desire Doue following unsuccessful attempts to continue playing.

Zidane described the injury as “not great” and suggested Mbappe would likely return to Real Madrid for further treatment. “We don’t want to take any risks," the coach said in a post-match interview, noting that Mbappe had overextended his knee during the shot. The France team faces three more Nations League fixtures in the next ten days before the start of the club season, raising concerns about Mbappe’s availability for both national and club duties.

Friday’s match was Zidane’s first in charge of France since his appointment in late July on a contract through 2030, marking his return to high-level coaching after a break following his second tenure with Real Madrid, which ended in 2021. Zidane expressed cautious optimism about his team’s performance, acknowledging limited time with the squad but noting positive signs during the match. “It was a really emotional night but a successful debut in difficult surroundings,” he said.

The French side, which finished as semi-finalists in the recent World Cup, competes in Group A1 of the Nations League alongside Belgium, Italy, and Turkiye. Following this match, France will travel to Brussels to face Belgium on Monday, with the latter having secured a 2-0 victory in Italy on Friday. Zidane will then host Italy at the Stade de France next Friday, in his home debut as France coach.

The lineup Zidane fielded reflected little change from the World Cup squad, with Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert starting at left back and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki included in the starting eleven. Turkiye, managed by former Italian international Vincenzo Montella, is set to play Italy next Monday in their Nations League campaign.